How to Avoid Massive Debt AND Get a Great College Education? Choose your local community college

There are some 37 million people in the U.S. currently holding student debt, with the national average among undergraduate student borrowers carrying a debt load of about $25,000. As a recent study by NERA Economic Consulting noted, “Student debt loads of $50,000, $100,000, and $200,000 are still the minority, but those high figures are becoming more common.” What steps can you take to...

How to Avoid Massive Debt AND Get a Great College Education? Choose your local community college

There are some 37 million people in the U.S. currently holding student debt, with the national average among undergraduate student borrowers carrying a debt load of about $25,000. As a recent study by NERA Economic Consulting noted, “Student debt loads of $50,000, $100,000, and $200,000 are still the minority, but those high figures are becoming more common.” What steps can you take to...

Smart Job Search

Take the smart path when looking for a job When you’re looking for a job, first consider how companies fill jobs. One-fifth of outside hires were made via employee referral in 2013, according to a survey by CareerXroads. Career websites accounted for another fifth of outside hires, and job boards for about 15 percent. The survey found growing numbers of new hires from social media, especially...

Lost Your Job? Your career first aid kit

Where do you begin if you lose your job? Changing careers after years in one job can seem overwhelming. Often the first steps—the mental and emotional ones—are the hardest. “People lose their jobs for many reasons,” explained recruiting firm Harris Allied Manager Kathy Harris. “Maybe their company has decided to outsource or sell a division; it’s purely a financial decision; or the...

Facts and Finds

Calculate future debt burden Student loan debt has more than tripled over the past decade, as both the number of borrowers and the size of the average balance have increased. Nearly three in four graduates today carry a sizeable debt along with their diplomas. For these borrowers, the typical balance is $26,500, according to the Hamilton Project, a research group based at the Brookings...